Despite the cruel Italian winter, or perhaps because of it, stunt riding legend Chris Pfeiffer and Grinchuk ignited the Bologna Motor Show to the delight of cheering crowds.

For most motorsport athletes the winter offseason revolves around rebuilding and regrouping, but that's not the case for Aleksandr Grinchuk and his team. "I was happy to accept the invitation to Red Bull Speed Days during Bologna Motor Show 2012," said the three-time, undisputed Ukraine Drift King.

This year's 37th Bologna International Motor Show, held annually during the first week in December in Bologna, Italy, was reminiscent of a get-together of international motorsport all-stars. "It was nice to meet our Formula 1 friends, Daniel Ricciardo and David Coulthard, who were my show-run partners in Kyiv and Baku in early 2012. And it was great to become friends with Chris Pfeiffer, Carlos Sainz, Sebastian Loeb, Travis Pastrana and others," reported Grinchuk.

Aleksandr Grinchuk spent part of his offseason performing drift stunts in Italy.

Grinchuk was part of an assembly of high caliber motorsport stars supporting the Red Bull Kart Fight, which is the global tournament to determine the fastest amateur kart racer in the World of Red Bull. National competitions held in 20 countries around the planet search for the best racers to represent each country, and those winners then travel to Bologna for the Red Bull Kart Fight World Final. The winner of the World Final is crowned Red Bull Kart Fight World Champion. "It was great to have the Ukrainian finalist in that group of 20 lucky men," stated Grinchuk.

"My team does its best to keep our car ready for any weather conditions, regardless if it is the sultriness of summer in Baku or the ice cold of winter Bologna. That is why it was stunt riding legend Chris Pfeiffer and me who opened the first day of the Kart Fight competition with our cooperative show-run. Right after us, nine-time world rally champion Sebastian Loeb and his WRC Citroen hit the track. But what the fans were waiting for most were the two F1 cars from the Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams. And definitely the loudest car of the show was the NASCAR rocket," grinned Grinchuk.

Pfeiffer and Grinchuk congratulate each other on a show well done.

The K&N sponsored driver felt a strong sense of responsibility to kick off the festivities with nothing less than a stellar performance for the massive gathering of Italian fans. "This time it was not only about the usual show-run, but one of the main goals for my team and myself, was to give the largest support possible to 20 guys who did a great job becoming the finalists of the world championship Red Bull Kart Fight 2012."

"The biggest highlight and the most excited feelings came from the competition runs of the Red Bull Kart Fight finalists," Grinchuk continued. "It's nearly impossible to describe how hard each one of the finalists competed, because all of them were the best from their country. I was happy for our Ukrainian guy, Vladislav Shendryk, who managed to get sixth place in such a severe battle. But it was the last turn of the race that made the whole show, that's when the Japanese finalist passed his Russian colleague and became World Kart Fight Champion 2012."

Grinchuk stands in the middle of an impressive gathering of motorsport all-stars.

Shinji Sawada won the Red Bull Kart Fight World Championship in spectacular fashion. At the end of 28 incredible laps it came down to a classic crunching clash with 23-year-old Russian Vasily Rozhkov through the final corners. But it was the 13-year-old Japanese driver who emerged in the lead, taking the title in front of the packed grandstands at the Bologna Motor Show.

"The second largest highlight of this weekend for me was the parade of all Red Bull vehicles on the Motorsport Arena all at once. The parade was headed by the three-time Formula 1 Championship car, which was followed by nine-time world rally Champion car. It is a dream for any motorsport driver in the world to take part in such parade. And it came true for me," Grinchuk recollects. "The words of my spotter through the intercom will stay in my memory forever - 'Grinya! Stop doing burnouts, Loeb is pressing!'"

K&N Engineering in Riverside California is the world's leading manufacturer of washable performance air filters and air intake systems. K&N invented the reusable high flow cotton air filter in 1969 and has been perfecting the technology ever since. K&N is a world class filtration company selling air filters, oil filters, and intakes in over 30 countries. K&N sells over 5,000 products designed for cars, trucks, motorcycles, engines, and industrial applications. From their Million Mile Warranty to their Consumer Protection Pledge, K&N stands behind their products and their consumers 100%. The distinctive K&N logo represents performance from one of the original performance companies. For more information, visit knfilters.com.